Player peak recovered from last week, matches were fun and close, way to go! I sneaked in a very quick implementation of a replacement class for the Basilisk, named Mantis. It is faster, hits slightly harder and instead of a grab, it has a certain type of pounce/dash some of you might remember from my experiments with the Dretch.
What has been tested?
(Relevant commits since last week. Newest on top.)
Mantis health 50 → 75. Wallpounce cooldown 750 → 1000. (Changed after first match.)
Remove (Advanced) Basilisk and Advanced Dretch. Add a basic implementation of Mantis.
Set initial buildable health to 25%.
Half human build delay timer.
Make light armour available from the start.
Remove alien group healing.
Remove basic income.
Refuel jetpack at armoury when a second worth of fuel is missing, regardless of jetpack state.
Only refill ammo/fuel at powered structures.
Apart from that, there was a match on the new version of Perseus, but unfortunately I didn't vote it in time for the player peak because I was looking at yocto version numbers. Turned out to be only a 3on3. And then I also screwed up the building. Shame on me.
Statistics
Average
Analysis
I'm happy with the general direction of the Mantis, even though it still is a rather rough class, lacking additional defining elements.
Multibuild can change the game significantly, we need more time to have a look at all implications. I feel this shouldn't be available to humans only as it's a very significant feature. The current build delay timer modifier of 0.5 might have been a bit too extreme (or maybe just right, implying the game could be going in a whole new direction). If we stick to means of fast building like this we'll certainly need to put more effort into preventing newbes from wasting a team's BP.
What's next?
The Mantis demands more character. It shouldn't remain a mere crossover between Dretch and Marauder. Even though Ishq suspects OP-ness, I feel loading the default attack with a slowth and/or stamina drain might finally fill the 2 evos gap with a viable class that remains flexible and useful during midgame. The pounce needs to be improved for usage on uneven ground. (The off-ground pounce, which has varying speed but a fixed length for angles between 15° and 45°, doesn't yet take the ground normal into consideration.)